Author archives

Perceived safety of cargo bikes: a barrier against a greener future?

While cities focus on making logistics more and more environmentally sustainable by implementing “green deals,” the potential impact of the increase of cargo bikes remains unclear. A thesis by Groningen student Youri Meerstra investigates perceived safety that residents experience with a potential increase in cargo bikes, in this case, the residents of the inner city …

Dutch PostNL introduces LEFVs in The Hague

PostNL opened a downtown hub in The Hague for sustainable and neighborhood-friendly delivery of parcels in The Hague’s Inner City. PostNL will now deliver parcels in the inner city of The Hague using small, emission-free LEVVs (light electric vehicles). This will benefit the liveability of the inner city: the vehicles are quiet, clean, narrow, maneuverable, …

Amazon: e-cargo bikes to replace thousands of van deliveries in London

Amazon is launching a fleet of e-cargo bikes and a team of on-foot delivery staff to replace thousands of van deliveries on London’s roads. With their fleet of electric delivery vans, Amazon will make more than five million zero-emission deliveries to customers yearly across more than 10% of London Ultra Low Emissions Zone. Various Amazon partner businesses will operate the …

Dutch TNO: for improving air quality, a different approach is needed

Exposure to particulate matter can have serious consequences, including respiratory diseases and the aggravation of cardiovascular diseases. In the Netherlands, 9,000 people die prematurely yearly due to particulate matter exposure. Therefore, a different approach is needed if we want to win the battle against particulate matter and permanently improve air quality in the Netherlands. Based …

Amsterdam: the role of public procurement in city logistics

The City of Amsterdam has a policy framework for making mobility in the city more sustainable. The municipal procurement and tendering of facility goods and services can help shape the vision and policy for zero-emission transport. A report evaluated the procurement processes of facility goods and services and freight transport and logistics hubs for facility …

Research: optimal location of loading/unloading bays in cities

A team of researchers from the Universidad de la República Montevideo, Uruguay, addresses the problem of determining the optimal number and location of slots within the urban parking space reserved to perform delivery operations and/or pick-up of goods to/from a set of given clients. In their study, they propose and evaluate an extended mathematical optimization …